Child Hero Pulls Siblings From Burning Car

Investigators Probe Fire, Mother's Death

Authorities are investigating the death of a woman after her 12-year-old son pulled his siblings out of a burning car and saved their lives. Investigators are now trying to figure out if the woman tried to kill her children and then took her own life.

Action 7 News spoke to the childrens' father who's jubilant that his kids survived.

?It's such a miracle. I'm just so happy that they're alive,? Tim Miles said.

For Miles, it?s a miracle and a tragedy. He said his ex-wife, Gaylynn Miles, pulled over in a remote part of Cibola County and Miles made everyone take a large amount of pills.

?What we do know is that they all took the same amount, from mom to the kids,? Cibola County Undersheriff Tony Mace said.

Mace said everyone fell asleep with the car running and at some point the catalytic converter caught on fire.

?My son Timmy, he said he woke up to the smoke coming up and he said he tried to put it out and he said it kept on coming out,? Miles said.

That was when 12-year-old Timmy Miles pulled everyone out of the burning car.

?When he saw me he said, 'Dad I saved them and I didn't give up. The car was on fire and everything was around us,' and he said he just focused on getting them out,? Miles said.

Gaylynn Miles died, but the children who suffered smoke inhalation and first-degree burns, had to crawl back into the car after it stopped burning to survive.

?They were freezing. Their jackets and shoes burned in the car so they had to go back into the smoldering vehicle to stay warm during the night,? Miles said.

Investigators said they don't think the mother meant to start the fire inside the car. Now they're trying to figure out if she purposely killed herself and tried to kill her children.

Miles believes a tragic accident killed his ex-wife, but said a heroic act saved his children.

?Just hold your children and your wives. You just never know how short this life is. Just love them and be patient with them,? Miles said.

Gaylynn Miles? ex-husband said they'd just divorced in October, but were trying to reconcile and he had not seen her act depressed or despondent. He said she was on medication because she had just had her thyroid removed.

Authorities said they?re waiting for toxicology reports from the mom and children to find out what pills they took. They said the mother did not suffer smoke inhalation and was most likely dead before the car caught on fire.